Genesis 48:21

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Then Israel said to Joseph,“I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף הִנֵּ֥ה אָנֹכִ֖י מֵ֑ת וְהָיָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם וְהֵשִׁ֣יב אֶתְכֶ֔ם אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ אֲבֹתֵיכֶֽם

Transliteration

And wayyōʾmer yiśrāʾēl to-yôsēp̄ hinnēh ʾānōkî mēt and wĕhāyāh ʾĕlōhîm with ʿimmākem and wĕhēšîb ʾetkem to-ʾereṣ ʾăbōtêkem

Grammar Details

• *wayyōʾmer*: waw-consecutive + Qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - and he said
• *yiśrāʾēl*: proper noun, masculine singular - Israel
• *yôsēp̄*: proper noun, masculine singular - Joseph
• *hinnēh*: demonstrative particle - behold
• *ʾānōkî*: 1st person singular pronoun - I
• *mēt*: Qal participle, masculine singular - dying
• *wĕhāyāh*: conjunction + Qal perfect, 3rd masculine singular - and will be
• *ʾĕlōhîm*: noun, masculine plural - God
• *ʿimmākem*: preposition + 2nd person masculine plural suffix - with you
• *wĕhēšîb*: conjunction + Hiphil perfect, 3rd masculine singular - and will bring back
• *ʾetkem*: direct object marker + 2nd person masculine plural suffix - you
• *ʾereṣ*: noun, feminine singular construct - land of
• *ʾăbōtêkem*: noun, masculine plural construct + 2nd person masculine plural suffix - your fathers

Word Meanings

• *hinnēh*: behold/look/here
• *ʾānōkî mēt*: I am dying/about to die/will die
• *wĕhāyāh*: and will be/shall be/and may be
• *ʾĕlōhîm*: God/divine being (grammatically plural form used for singular deity)
• *wĕhēšîb*: and will bring back/return/restore
• *ʾereṣ ʾăbōtêkem*: land of your fathers/ancestors/forefathers

Referenced Verses

• Gen 46:4 : 4 I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there. Joseph will close your eyes.”
• Gen 50:24 : 24 Then Joseph said to his brothers,“I am about to die. But God will surely come to you and lead you up from this land to the land he swore on oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
• Gen 26:3 : 3 Stay in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will fulfill the solemn promise I made to your father Abraham.
• Gen 28:15 : 15 I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
• Gen 37:1 : 1 Joseph’s Dreams But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, in the land of Canaan.
• Gen 12:5 : 5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they left for the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
• Gen 15:14 : 14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. Afterward they will come out with many possessions.
• Deut 1:1-9 : 1 ¶ The Covenant Setting This is what Moses said to all of Israel in the Transjordanian wilderness, the arid rift valley opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di Zahab. 2 Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir. 3 However, it was not until the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year that Moses addressed the Israelites just as the LORD had instructed him to do. 4 This took place after the defeat of King Sihon of the Amorites, whose capital was in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was in Ashtaroth, specifically in Edrei. 5 So it was in the Transjordan, in Moab, that Moses began to deliver these words: 6 Events at Horeb The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb and said,“You have stayed in the area of this mountain long enough. 7 Head out and resume your journey. Enter the Amorite hill country, and into all its neighboring areas, including the rift valley, the hill country, the foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain– all of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the Great River, that is, the Euphrates. 8 Look! I have already given the land to you. Go, occupy the territory that I, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants.” 9 I also said to you at that time,“I am no longer able to sustain you by myself. 10 The LORD your God has increased your population to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky. 11 Indeed, may the LORD, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you just as he said he would! 12 But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife? 13 Select wise and practical men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders.” 14 You replied to me that what I had said to you was good. 15 So I chose as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men, placing them over you as administrators of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and also as other tribal officials. 16 I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens and judge fairly, whether between one person and a native Israelite or a resident foreigner. 17 They must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing. 18 Instructions at Kadesh Barnea So I instructed you at that time regarding everything you should do. 19 Then we left Horeb and passed through all that immense, forbidding wilderness that you saw on the way to the Amorite hill country as the LORD our God had commanded us to do, finally arriving at Kadesh Barnea. 20 Then I said to you,“You have come to the Amorite hill country which the LORD our God is about to give us. 21 Look, he has placed the land in front of you! Go up, take possession of it, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged!” 22 So all of you approached me and said,“Let’s send some men ahead of us to scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what the cities are like there.” 23 I thought this was a good idea, so I sent twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 24 They left and went up to the hill country, coming to the Eshcol Valley, which they scouted out. 25 Then they took some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to us. They also brought a report to us, saying,“The land that the LORD our God is about to give us is good.” 26 Disobedience at Kadesh Barnea You were not willing to go up, however, but instead rebelled against the LORD your God. 27 You complained among yourselves privately and said,“Because the LORD hates us he brought us from Egypt to deliver us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us! 28 What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage by describing people who are more numerous and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven itself! Moreover, they said they saw Anakites there.” 29 So I responded to you,“Do not be terrified of them! 30 The LORD your God is about to go ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt 31 and in the wilderness, where you saw him carrying you along like a man carries his son. This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very place.” 32 However, through all this you did not have confidence in the LORD your God, 33 the one who would go before you on the way to find places for you to camp, appearing in a fire at night and in a cloud by day to show you the way you ought to go. 34 Judgment at Kadesh Barnea When the LORD heard you, he became angry and made this vow: 35 “Not a single person of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors! 36 The exception is Caleb son of Jephunneh; he will see it and I will give him and his descendants the territory on which he has walked, because he has wholeheartedly followed me.” 37 As for me, the LORD was also angry with me on your account. He said,“You also will not be able to go there. 38 However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land. 39 Also, your infants, who you thought would die on the way, and your children, who as yet do not know good from bad, will go there; I will give them the land and they will possess it. 40 But as for you, turn back and head for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.” 41 Unsuccessful Conquest of Canaan Then you responded to me and admitted,“We have sinned against the LORD. We will now go up and fight as the LORD our God has told us to do.” So you each put on your battle gear and prepared to go up to the hill country. 42 But the LORD told me:“Tell them this:‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.’” 43 I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead you rebelled against the LORD and recklessly went up to the hill country. 44 The Amorite inhabitants of that area confronted you and chased you like a swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah. 45 Then you came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to you whatsoever. 46 Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time– indeed, for the full time.
• Deut 31:8 : 8 The LORD is indeed going before you– he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”
• Josh 1:5 : 5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone.
• Josh 1:9 : 9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do.”
• Josh 3:7 : 7 The LORD told Joshua,“This very day I will begin to honor you before all Israel so they will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.
• Josh 23:14 : 14 “Look, today I am about to die. You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the LORD your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized– not one promise is unfulfilled!
• Josh 24:1-9 : 1 Israel Renews its Commitment to the Lord Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God. 2 Joshua told all the people,“This is what the LORD God of Israel has said:‘In the distant past your ancestors lived beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped other gods, 3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and brought him into the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir, while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their land. Then I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you arrived at the sea. The Egyptians chased your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 Your fathers cried out for help to the LORD; he made the area between you and the Egyptians dark, and then drowned them in the sea. You witnessed with your very own eyes what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought with you, but I handed them over to you; you conquered their land and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment on you. 10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept prophesying good things about you, and I rescued you from his power. 11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The leaders of Jericho, as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you. 12 I sent terror ahead of you to drive out before you the two Amorite kings. I gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows. 13 I gave you a land in which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’ 14 Now obey the LORD and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the LORD. 15 If you have no desire to worship the LORD, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the LORD. 16 The people responded,“Far be it from us to abandon the LORD so we can worship other gods! 17 For the LORD our God took us and our fathers out of slavery in the land of Egypt and performed these awesome miracles before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 18 The LORD drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship the LORD, for he is our God!” 19 Joshua warned the people,“You will not keep worshiping the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion or your sins. 20 If you abandon the LORD and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well.” 21 The people said to Joshua,“No! We really will worship the LORD. 22 Joshua said to the people,“Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the LORD?” They replied,“We are witnesses!” 23 Joshua said,“Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the LORD God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua,“We will worship the LORD our God and obey him.” 25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement for the people, and he established rules and regulations for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the LORD’s shrine. 27 Joshua said to all the people,“Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard everything the LORD said to us. It will be a witness against you if you deny your God.” 28 When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land. 29 An Era Ends After all this Joshua son of Nun, the LORD’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. 30 They buried him in his allotted territory in Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive. These men had experienced firsthand everything the LORD had done for Israel. 32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the part of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money. So it became the inheritance of the tribe of Joseph. 33 Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, where his son Phinehas had been assigned land.
• 1 Kgs 2:2-4 : 2 “I am about to die. Be strong and become a man! 3 Do the job the LORD your God has assigned you by following his instructions and obeying his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish, 4 and the LORD will fulfill his promise to me,‘If your descendants watch their step and live faithfully in my presence with all their heart and being, then,’ he promised,‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
• Ps 18:46 : 46 The LORD is alive! My protector is praiseworthy! The God who delivers me is exalted as king!
• Ps 146:3-4 : 3 Do not trust in princes, or in human beings, who cannot deliver! 4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground; on that day their plans die.
• Zech 1:5-6 : 5 “As for your ancestors, where are they? And did the prophets live forever? 6 But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, not outlived your fathers? Then they paid attention and confessed,‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our sinful ways.’”
• Luke 2:29 : 29 “Now, according to your word, Sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart in peace.
• Acts 13:36 : 36 For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, died, was buried with his ancestors, and experienced decay,
• 2 Tim 4:6 : 6 For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart is at hand.
• Heb 7:3 : 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time.
• Heb 7:8 : 8 and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him who is affirmed to be alive.
• Heb 7:23-25 : 23 And the others who became priests were numerous, because death prevented them from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever. 25 So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
• 2 Pet 1:14 : 14 since I know that my tabernacle will soon be removed, because our Lord Jesus Christ revealed this to me.